Integrating Polymer Chemistry and Optics: Creating Cheap, Portable, High-Powered Do-It-Yourself Microscopes
Fall 2016 - Spring 2017
When I was a senior at Mount Hebron High School, I took a course called Intern/Mentor GT, where I conducted an independent research project of my choice, and have an internship under a professional of a field of interest.
I interned as a high school researcher at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Meyerhoff Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. I worked closely with my mentor, Dr. Minjoung Kyoung, as well as graduate students, Erin Kennedy and Noah Robinson. As a high school intern at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), I ran experiments to optimize PDMS-based hanging droplet lens and design a microscope. I drafted a 20-page report and orally presented about creating a cheaper paper-based hanging-droplet lens microscope.
I sought to create cheaper, portable, more efficient microscopes that will be accessible by as many people as possible, especially toward people in living in underfunded areas or with underprivileged conditions. I wished to expand scientific knowledge and kindle scientific interest by creating a "Make-It-Yourself Microscope" and simple guide, that anyone could follow, learn about optics and microscopy, and unleash their creativity in innovation. I wanted to promote creative, innovative, and unconventional thinking.